Since 2011, the Syrian Civil War has killed approximately 400,000 people and shows no signs of stopping now.  The brutal conflict involves the Syrian government, led by Bashar al-Assad, Syrian rebels, Kurdish forces, and the Islamic State (ISIS). The United States supports the Syrian rebels, while Russia backs al-Assad.  The United States and Russia were able to broker a careful cease fire, which was shattered late September with airstrikes targeting the Syrian city of Aleppo. Accusations are flying between the US and Russia, with the US accusing Russia of inhumanitarian air strikes. Russia, however, says the US ended the cease fire after a US led attack on a Syrian army post.

 The Obama administration has said that they will be stopping peace talks with Russia, saying that the attacks on Aleppo were the reason discussions have ended. This greenlights the possibility of the US providing more weapons to the Syrian rebels, including some anti-aircraft weapons.  Other countries, like Turkey and Saudi Arabia, will provide weapons to the Syrian rebels as well. Russia will continue to provide help to the Syrian government, and both sides will likely continue air strikes, not just in Aleppo, but all around Syria.

 Over 400 people have died at Aleppo this past week, and hundreds more are wounded, most of them are civilians. The US is accusing Russia of purposely bombing civilians into submission, but this statement has not been confirmed. The United Nations has continued to send humanitarian aid to the struggling city, but residents continue to lack food, clean water, and medical care. Unarmed Syrian civil defense workers, called White Helmets, report low population of doctors, and people trapped under rubble. Despite the efforts of the White Helmets, it is very clear more aid for Aleppo is needed. “We have Syrian students here,” says Randi Jones, ESL teacher, “and when they come here into the world of Millbrook, it’s a totally new experience.  We should be grateful for what we have here; we won’t experience what they had to.”

   On the other side of the world, Russia suspended an important Plutonium deal with the US, citing unfriendly actions by the United States as the reason. The amount of Plutonium that Russia would have disposed of could be used to create over 1,000 nuclear warheads. Although it is unlikely that Russia will hold on to the Plutonium for long, this still creates a tense atmosphere over US-Russia relations. The Syrian conflict shows no clear signs of resolving, and it will take an international effort to stop the war.